Waterford, Ireland, and studying English abroad

I’ve been working as an English language teacher since 2009. Throughout this period many students have asked me to recommend a city or town where they could go for a couple of months to improve their English level. Also, numerous students have told me about their experiences of going abroad to learn English. There are countless positives, but the point that stands out, simply because I’ve heard and been witness to it so many times, is negative: students who go to a capital city like London or Dublin find it hard to integrate with the local English-speaking population and, as a result, start hanging around with people of their own nationality thus greatly reducing their interaction with the English language.

If you are considering going abroad for a month or so to improve your English level, you are probably preparing for a B2 or C1 level exam. If you are preparing for a B2 level exam, your goal should be to improve your fluency, by which I mean: becoming comfortable talking in the past, present and future, using modal verbs to show probability, possibility, and to give advice, being able to converse about everyday topics using relevant vocabulary and being able to talk about your life, your interests and your plans for today, tomorrow and the foreseeable future.

If you are between levels B1 and B2, and if you communicate solely in English for two months, you will reach the level of B2, which is the most important level to reach when learning a foreign language.

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If you are between levels B2 and C1, you should aim to improve your fluency with an emphasis on learning collocations and idiomatic language. Practise phrases that are repeatedly used among fluent English speakers and concentrate on developing your listening ability so that you can comprehend ‘rapid colloquial speech’, however speak at a clear, natural speed. Don’t aim to speak as fast as native speakers.

The best way to guarantee communicating only in English is to travel alone and stay with a host family, preferably with a family that has experience in accommodating language students. English academies offer all-inclusive packages of accommodation and schooling, which can be pricey, but are the most direct route to improving fluency.

In Waterford, Ireland, for example, a twenty-hour-a-week, four-week course including host-family accommodation and meals, costs around two-thousand Euros. I’m choosing Waterford as the example because I’m from Waterford and I know it’s a good city for students of English to study in.

Waterford is a city in the south-east of Ireland with a population of just over fifty thousand. The city centre is compact which makes it easy and pleasant to get around on foot. Starting from the River Suir, which flows alongside the quays in the northern part of the city, it’s possible to walk around the centre within thirty minutes. John Robert’s Square, the main square of the City, has outdoor cafes, the Book Centre—a fantastic bookshop over three-and-a-half floors stocked by employees who know their books and, if you are part of the swarm who seem to be manically addicted to Gran Via’s Primark, you won’t suffer withdrawal symptoms as Primark’s original store called Penneys was first opened in Ire-land and there is one in Waterford.

In addition to the shops, Waterford’s streets showcase their history. The City was founded by the Vikings in 914 making it the oldest city in Ireland. At the eastern end of the River Suir, the recently revamped Viking Triangle recounts this heritage. The Triangle includes Reginald’s Tower—a round tower dating from the 13th century, a Viking longboat, which is very popular to take a selfie in if that’s your style, and the Medieval Museum. In the centre of the Viking Triangle is the Bishop’s Palace—a grand Georgian residence which hosts a tour of affluent, 18th-century life.

Across from the Palace is the world renowned, House of Waterford Crystal where you can observe the intricate, glass-making craftsmanship in action. Fittingly, the Bishop’s Palace houses the oldest piece of Waterford Crystal along with, oddly enough, a lock of Napoleon’s hair. While making your way around the Triangle stop into Waterford’s only tapas restaurant, the Olive Tree, which has a distinctive approach to Spanish cuisine. The head chef is known to cure his own hams, slow cook Rabo de Toro for twelve hours and bake a daily batch of sourdough bread.

Next door to the Olive Tree is the Munster Bar, a great pub for a pint or the Waterford-loved, ‘bottle of Guinness off the shelf’. The Munster Bar looks onto 33 The Mall, noteworthy because the Irish tricolour was flown there for the first time in 1848. The green, white and orange flag represents the Gaelic traditions, the supporters of William of Orange, and the white centre-strip symbolises a lasting peace between the two communities.

If you are between the levels of B1 and B2, I’ve described an ideal but realistic way to reach the level to pass a B2 exam. If you are between the levels of B2 and C1, a little bit more input and practice would be necessary to be prepared for a C1 exam. I’ve used my hometown of Waterford as a good, regional city to improve fluency, but, of course, there are many small cities and towns one could choose. My advice is to get first-hand recommendations. Research the location and academy when choosing this type of learning experience so you don’t return home feeling like you didn’t learn enough for the money you spent.

For more about Waterford check: www.visitwaterford.com

Brian Collins

(Director of Studies of English Literature Classes Madrid)

English Literature Classes Madrid

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